Professional female boxer Keisher "Fire" McLeod-Wells is a princess
among men who has a burning passion for life. She finds herself at the
top of a sport that is most beautiful when executed with precision,
determination, and a killer instinct. She has all of these attributes,
but also the heart and reach to connect with her target with angelic
brutality.

The four-time Golden Gloves champ has recently gone pro after shifting
from a modeling and acting career with significant momentum and is now
feared by every female slugger in the sport. She dances in the ring with
a grace and quickness that earns her the respect and envy of her
opponents. Can you name another "triple threat" female celebrity whose
talents include kicking ass? Exactly.

We were lucky enough to corner Fire while training at Brooklyn’s famous
Gleason's Gym and were immediately warmed by her charm and awed by her
skill. We were bumped once by the New York Times but beat CNN to the
punch in featuring her explosive career that includes the recent filming
of Todas Contra Mexico (All Against Mexico), a Mexican reality show
Fire has just returned from filming.

Best of luck to you, Fire. It is with great pleasure that we will watch your pro boxing career continue to burn brightly.

By, Stated Magazine

The Grio

Gleason's is much more than a boxing gym for Keisher Mcleod-Wells. It
has become a major part of her life. She works there part-time, trains
there for her professional boxing tournaments and even got married
there.

The gym first opened in 1932 in the Bronx, NY and then made its way
into the Dumbo section of Brooklyn in the 1980s. Since the gym opened,
it has produced 132 professional world champions including the legendary
Jake LaMotta, Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali. Roughly 26 full-length
movies have been filmed at the gym, four of which have won Academy
awards. Additionally, over 100 documentaries have been shot at the gym.
Even New York tour buses stop by the gym to learn of its historical
significance.

The biggest difference from 1932 and today is that the gym never had
any businessmen or women among its members. It now includes over 350
businessmen, from Wall Street bankers to doctors and teachers. And it
has over 330 female members, and has produced five female world
champions and 1 amateur champion.

The 33-year old McLeod-Wells's journey with the oldest active boxing
gym in the United States began in 2002 when she wanted to tone up for
some modeling and acting gigs. She didn't expect her decision would lead
her to boxing competitively.

Female boxing is growing. The U.S. Olympic
committee is recognizing the sport for the first time for the 2012
games. While she's no longer eligible to compete in the games because
she's no longer an amateur, McLeod-Wells told theGrio she is happy to
see more equitable opportunities for women.

She aspires to become one of America's greatest boxers after her
favorite boxing greats -- Tommy Hearns, Sugar Ray Robinson, Manny
Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather. Gleason's owner Bruce Silverglade, a
former boxer himself, says McLeod-Wells stands out from many of the
other female boxers at Gleason's because of her speed in the ring, and
for her unique nickname "Fire."

Watch theGrio's story here on "Fire" lacing up to work towards her dream of becoming a boxing great.
Reported, produced and shot by Rima Abdelkader